Corkage: A Privilege, Not a Right

In the wake of last week's post on The Wine Lover's Bill of Rights, I wanted to turn the tables (no pun intended) and address one of the wine lover's responsibilities in the unique social compact that is sealed when you sit down for a meal in a restaurant.

In most states, corkage -- i.e., bringing your own bottle to a restaurant and having your server open it for you for a fee -- is legal.

In Texas, corkage is illegal unless the venue does not have a spirits license. In other words, if spirits are served, corkage is forbidden by law. (I'll devote a future post to this bizarre nugget of Texas legislation.) Many sommeliers allow corkage regardless of this restriction. But, for the most part, our corkage options in Houston are severely limited.

Jeremy Parzen writes about wine for the Houston Press. A wine trade marketing consultant by day, he is also an adjunct professor at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Piedmont, Italy. He spends the rest of his free time creating music with his daughters and wife in Houston.